Pop-up drive-in movies hosted by BarnZ’s to benefit N.H. Food Bank

Monday

May 18, 2020 at 5:34 PM

BARRINGTON — BarnZ’s Barrington Cinema will soon begin using its parking lot for drive-in movies while the theater remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cinema owner Tim Barnes said the pop-up drive-in will accommodate 60 cars and serve two goals: offer locals a way to safely get out and spend time together, and raise money to support the New Hampshire Food Bank and people in need.

“All of the admission will go to the food bank,” said Barnes. “We were sitting around trying to figure out what we could do. This just came to us because we do movies and this is what we could do. Not only are we giving people a night out, we’re also giving them a way to give back to people when they really need it, to their friends and neighbors. Food banks are all hard hit right now.”

The pop-up drive-in will officially debut at BarnZ’s Thursday evening with a double feature, the 1985 classic “Goonies” and followed by the 2017 blockbuster “Wonder Woman.”

Each evening’s double feature will be posted on BarnZ’s website and Facebook page.

The BarnZ’s lot will open at 6 p.m. and the first movie will begin at dusk, which is currently around 8 p.m.

Barnes said the plan is to offer the drive-in Thursday through Sunday this week. It may operate only on weekends the rest of the summer, or it could potentially operate seven days a week if the response is strong enough.

“There seems to be a lot of support for it,” Barnes said while discussing community feedback and the strong traffic he’s seen on the BarnZ’s Facebook page. “Most people have been pretty excited. I’m hoping people will enjoy it. It’ll be a nice night out so they don’t have to stare at the same four walls.”

BarnZ’s has additional cinema locations in Lincoln and Meredith. Barnes said he isn’t planning to operate drive-ins at those locations because their busier, larger strip mall lots wouldn’t be conducive to it.

BarnZ’s won’t show first-run releases at the Barrington pop-up drive-in because it would have to charge admission to cover the cost, Barnes said. He said he can rent older films on a much cheaper flat-fee basis.

Admission will be a suggested, pay-as-you-can price. Concessions will be available to help cover the Route 125 cinema’s operating costs, and a portion of the concessions will also go to the food bank, according to Barnes.

“Even if we don’t sell out, it could still help a little for the food bank,” he said.

BarnZ’s will use a digital projector mounted in a box truck to play its films on the side of large shipping containers that have been painted white and stacked on the southern edge of the parking lot. The makeshift screen was installed Monday morning.

Barnes said he hopes to have an online reservation system finished by Tuesday so moviegoers can reserve their parking space in advance, to avoid issues with overcrowding that could compromise the business’ precautions and social distancing protocols.

Those protocols include requests that patrons remain in their vehicles or close to them during the showings, in order to keep 10 feet between vehicles.

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Portable toilets have been installed beneath the cinema’s awning because the business’ restrooms are closed, in accordance with the state’s COVID-19 regulations.

Concessions must be purchased inside the lobby, which will be the only portion of the cinema’s building open to the public. Customers must wear a mask, enter through one door, follow social distancing recommendations and markings on the floor, and exit through a different door once they’ve purchased their food.

Staff will all also wear masks, Barnes said. Employees were in the process of cleaning and setting up Monday.

Barnes said he’s fortunate the town has supported the idea. He also said he’s fortunate the property’s landlord, utility providers and vendors have worked with him so the overhead doesn’t put his shuttered cinema out of business.

Barnes estimated being closed for the past eight weeks will result in a 50% decrease in overall revenue for the year. That’s assuming theaters are allowed to reopen at some point this summer and the major studios roll out a strong slate of new releases.

“It’ll be challenging, that’s for sure,” said Barnes, expressing optimism. “I don’t think it’ll turn into a situation where I’ll have to go out of business. We can work with everyone.”

Town Administrator Conner MacIver commended BarnZ’s on the pop-up drive-in and for supporting people in need in the process. He described the idea as innovative.

MacIver also said the town “supports all businesses in Barrington as they begin to reopen.” That support includes waiving permit fees and expediting the town’s reviews to help businesses adapting new COVID-19 models.

“This is a business that has recognized the challenges of their traditional services during the pandemic and has used the opportunity to bring a safe leisure-time activity to Barrington and the surrounding communities,” MacIver said of BarnZ’s. “It is equally important to support these local businesses as it is to have safe leisure and recreation activities available to families that have stayed at home for many weeks.”

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